This year’s Deloitte Ignite will be curated by actor, writer, presenter and opera fan Stephen Fry.

Entitled Verdi/Wagner (200), the festival will celebrate the joint bicentenary of musical greats Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, exploring the composers and their music in innovative and creative ways. It's an announcement we are delighted to be making on Richard Wagner's birthday.

Stephen Fry said:

This is an incredible year for opera lovers. The two-hundredth birthdays of Verdi and Wagner and the centenary of our very own Benjamin Britten’s entry into the world. Very proud and pleased to be associated with Deloitte Ignite's contribution to this celebration and the opening up of opera to as wide an audience as possible.'

Unlike in previous years, this Deloitte Ignite will be spread across four weekends rather than just one, and include live radio broadcasts, workshops and pop-up performances inspired by Verdi and Wagner.

The festival will feature an enormous interactive sculpture installed in the Covent Garden piazza. Created by award-winning set designer Es Devlin (Les Troyens, Take That's Progress Tour, the London 2012 Closing Ceremony), the installation - an enormous revolving zoetrope - will use exclusive behind-the-scenes footage captured during a performance of Die Walküre toshow how such an epic piece is staged.

Actor, writer and director Simon Callow will also present a one-man show - Inside Wagner’s Head - commissioned specially for the festival, in which Callow will play Richard Wagner.

Other events include new work created by Royal Ballet Choreographic Affiliate Mayuri Boonham and a unique sound installation in the Crush Room created by Royal Opera House composer-in-residence Elspeth Brookes using recordings of people from all over the world singing 'Va Pensiero', the famous Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s Nabucco

Other artists involved in the festival include Gandini Juggling, who will present an original take on Die Walküre; hand mime artist Andrew Dawson, who will perform a potted version of Wagner’s Ring Cycle; and comedy dance duo New Art Club, who will present their own interpretation of Verdi operas.

The festival will run from 6 - 29 September. Full details of the programme will be announced shortly. Sign up to be first to know when more information is released.